Link Centre Dictionary

offhand

off·hand

US/ˌɔfˈhænd/ uncommon

adverb

1.

without previous thought or preparation

  • “couldn”
  • “;”
  • “;”
2.

in a casually inconsiderate manner

  • “replied offhand, his mind a million miles away”
  • “she threw him over offhandedly without even a Dear-John letter”

adjective

1.

with little or no preparation or forethought

  • “his ad-lib comments showed poor judgment”
  • “an extemporaneous piano recital”
  • “an extemporary lecture”
  • “an extempore skit”
  • “an impromptu speech”
  • “offhand excuses”
  • “trying to sound offhanded and reassuring”
  • “an off-the-cuff toast”
  • “a few unrehearsed comments”
2.

casually thoughtless or inconsiderate

  • “an offhand manner”
  • “she treated most men with offhand contempt”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

From Middle English *ofhande, *ofhende, from Old English ofhende (“absent, lost”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *abahandijaz. Equivalent to (and re-formed as) off- + hand. Cognate with Icelandic afhendur. Compare onhand.

Phrases

  • off the top of one's head

Related words

Word family

Pertaining to

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.